Gmail will let you browse websites in your email with new AMP support

February 13, 2018 by 12news

Google is bringing its Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) capabilities to email today through a developer preview for Gmail. The feature, called AMP for Email, will allow developers to make emails “more interactive and engaging.” Google envisions the feature to be beneficial to users because developers can embed widgets in emails that are constantly up-to-date and include actionable functions that work without leaving your inbox. Google’s existing AMP webpages are an emerging standard for webpages that load radically faster than regular mobile pages.

AMP for Email is open-source so developers can freely play around with the capabilities and use them to their advantage. Companies developing features for AMP for Email include Pinterest, Booking.com, and Doodle. Google says the AMP for Email feature will allow you to do things like RSVP to events, browse and interact with content, or fill out forms without leaving an email. For example, Google says if a contractor wants to schedule a meeting with you but isn’t able to see your calendar, they’ll contact you about availability. With AMP for Email, you could respond interactively through a form without ever leaving the email client.

An email from Pinterest for example, would allow you to browse through images and click on them for more details — like how you would on the site — but through the email itself. It could be a handy feature if you’re sick of the 20 odd tabs you’ve got open and are easily distracted.

Google is planning to include AMP support in Gmail later this year. For those interested, you can get developer preview access to AMP for Email in Gmail by signing up through Google. Google earlier today also announced it’s testing an “AMP Stories” feature that appears in Google Search, a Snapchat-like format that displays stories in a visually rich way with videos and photos.